Cats are playful and highly energized creatures most of the time. There is no doubt that having a cat in your home will never allow for a dull moment.
As much as they love interacting with people and other cats, they are always curious in finding different things. One of the most asked questions that many cat owners ask is – do cats and lizards get along?
If you have a cat at your home as well as pet lizards, then this question is quite an important one to ask. In this article we will answer this question and a few others so that you have the best information available in regards to the relationship between cats and lizards.
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Do Cats and Lizards Get Along?
Generally, the answer to this question is NO! Cats can and will get provoked by something that moves very fast and they have the tendency to prey on them. As the lizards can move quite fast, the cats tend to chase them as they see them as potential prey.
Due to the curious and playful nature of cats and kittens, they see lizards as something to play with. Also, cats are natural enemies of lizards. If you have a cat at home, you will not notice lizards venturing inside your house in their presence.
But there are some exceptions. A bearded dragon lizard can have an uncanny and unlikely friendship with your feline companion. However, cats and bearded dragons have been known to fight, so it’s ultimately best if you don’t leave the two alone for very long.
Are Lizards Toxic to Cats?
The North American lizards, due to their smaller appearance, are an easy prey for cats. They often catch and eat them.
However, thankfully, these small lizards such as anole and gecko are not poisonous for the cats to eat. And they also don’t have any severe side effects. Having said that, still, lizards are not completely safe for cats to eat.
Often, cats do get sick if they consume lizards. Some species of lizards like geckos can carry liver flukes that can effectively infect the duct bile of the cats making them seriously ill.
Lizards with blue tails also carry toxins that are poisonous enough to be very fatal for your cat. These toxins can cause vomiting and fever to occur in your cat as well.
If your cat is simply playing around with a lizard, then it should be okay. But I would definitely remove the lizard from the area just in case.
Can Cats Smell Lizards?
Cats have amazing smell and sight senses. Even their hearing sense is also quite good. These senses allow them to explore a lot of things. So, if there is a lizard in your house, it is not only their sense of smell but also their sight and hearing that also get activated.
They can easily spot the lizard’s appearance if they are somewhere near to them or hiding somewhere behind anything. Just like any living creatures, the reptiles too have a typical scent that is associated with them. Cats can easily identify the lizards from that smell.
Can Cats Get Sick From Eating Lizards?
This is one of the most common questions that people ask about cats and lizards. Well, as mentioned earlier, cats can get sick if they actually eat lizards.
Though all lizards may not be poisonous enough to kill the cats, they can carry a certain parasite that can make them fall sick. This parasite is called the liver fluke and it can be fatal for your cats if they eat the lizard carrying that parasite. When the parasite gets lodged in the bile duct of the cat, it can be really dangerous for the cat.
What To Do If Your Cat Catches a Lizard
Generally, it is better to keep the cats away from the lizards. It has been seen that most lizards do not venture into houses where a cat resides.
But often you can see incidents where the cats catch a lizard or eat them. If you notice that your cat is running after a lizard, pay attention to whether or not your cat starts to attack them. If they do, immediately take action so that the cat leaves the lizard alone.
In case you suspect that your cat has already eaten a lizard, contact your veterinarian immediately. This can have some potential threats to the health of your cat and taking fast action is essential.
Final Thoughts
So, now you clearly know whether or not cats and lizards get along. Most of the time, a cat will not get along with a lizard as the two are natural enemies. But as mentioned above, some exceptions do exist. In any case, you have to be very careful when you have both cats and lizards at home.
